outspoken

That's a very interesting point. We have split AC ducts near the tanks that keep the humidity in check, however the heating elements in the tank are likely working overtime to maintain the temperature settings. I'll try a lid on one of the tanks. Thankfully I have energy monitoring and light automation setup with Home-Assistant, so I can look at historical usage and make a comparison to see if it helps.

I have 3 tanks and I'm about to get another one. Never used a lid before, I've just kept them open topped with lights going across. I don't plan on housing any Marlins so the likelihood of them jumping out of the tank seems very little or am I naive? What are the benefits to a tank lid? I read that evaporation is one, however to me that just seems like water collecting on top and gathering bacteria or other things from the lid then dropping back into the tank which I'm not interested in. My aquariums are freshwater community tanks with species like guppies, tetra, snails and cory catfish. This new tank might have an angelfish in it.

Another reason to have a food-free day is to keep algae at bay. In my tanks the inhabitants eat way more algae on fasting days.

Thanks, I think that's what I'm leaning towards. The first google results came up with an article saying that Betta, Goldfish, Angelfish, Dwarf Gouramis and Pike Cichlid are good for controlling guppy fry population. That lead me to discover the Licorice Gourami, but it did look a bit too small for the job so I came to confirm. Going to pick out a betta. 😉

Angelfish would be a bit too big for this setup.

In my community tank I have Silvertip Tetras, various Guppy, Julii Cory and snails. I'd like to keep the guppy fry population to a minimum but don't mind some of them turning into adults. I have a breeding tank that is exploding with guppies so I do enjoy guppy fry, however I'd like to maintain a certain level of size in my community tank. Will a Licorice Gourami feed on guppy fry or would I need something bigger?

Just got this Hygrophila corymbosa and noticed these black/brown spots on the stem. Something to be concerned about or normal?

Thanks! That's what I was hoping for. I actually want to have a slower rate so as not to disturb the tank. I was just concerned that the lower rate units would be incapable of the lift needed. I'll try out one of the lower rate units with adjustable flow.

I'm currently filling up 5 gallon home depot buckets and walking them downstairs (no water in basement). It occurred to me that I could use a pump to fill the tanks from the bucket. Started looking for some cheapo fountain pumps for ~$10 and am uncertain about which one is going to be capable of the task. I'd like to keep the buckets full of water on the ground and have the pump do the work of filling the tank. From the floor to the top of the water column in the tank is roughly 5ft. Seems that 200GPH is the minimum requirement for that lift with 1/2" tubing. Just wanting to confirm that with anyone else's experience doing this.

Hmm, looks like a liquid form of the medication. I'll just order Fritz Mardel Maracyn from aquariumcoop, need a few other things anyways.

My LHS has Fritz Aquatics Maracyn Oxy. Is that good?

It's beenabout a week and I've been doing water changes daily and topping off the salt content to maintain the levels. Testing water and it has been consistent. However, there doesn't seem to be much change yet. Also was wondering if it is safe to move out individual s who appear in better health or just wait for all of them to look healthy.

I'm going to try making my own tabs since I have a massive amount of osmocote still. I'm gonna try a few experiments on attaching the osmocote together DIY style to appear like their "tabs" which are basically a bunch of osmocote balls stuck together.

Thanks, I was also wondering about that. My Jave Fern is also planted at an equal depth on the other side of the tank and was thinking of bringing that up a bit as well.

EDIT: I'm not 100% if this is a Red Flame or Red Melon. I got it at my LHS and forget which one it is. I've had this Red Sword since the start of my tank in October 2020, just 4 months ago. Originally I put down about 1-1.5" of sand, scattered a bunch of osmocote plus around, then another 1-1.5" of sand. It's hard to see from the photo but right in the very center a new red leaf started to grow about 2 weeks ago. So it seems healthy to me. I haven't added any root tabs and it has been crossing my mind lately. Starting a month ago I've been adding a squirt of easy iron once a week. Overall, what are your impressions from the photo? Sounds like I'm on the right path or do I need to add some root tabs.